Impact crushing apparatus



T. E. BRIDGEWATER 3,074,657

IMPACT CRUSHING APPARATUS Jan. 22, 1963 Filed Dec. 4, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

Jan. 22, 1963 Filed Dec. 4, 1959 T. E. BRIDGEWATER 3,074,657

IMPACT causnma APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent Ofiice 3,h74,57 Patented Jan. 22, 1963 3,074,657 IMPACT CRUSHING APPARATUS Thomas E. Bridgewater, Elmhurst, Ill., assignor to Adams Engineering Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Filed Dec. 4, 1959, Ser. No. 857,365 7 Claims. (Q1. 241--275) This invention relates to a novel crushing apparatus, and more particularly to a novel impact type crusher.

In impact type crushers, elements of the apparatus subjected to the material being crushed suffer considerable abrasion and may wear out rapidly. As a result certain installations have been unduly expensive to operate and maintain since worn parts must be frequently replaced and certain of such heretofore suggested parts have been expensive and have required considerable time and labor to install.

It is an important object of the present invention to provide a novel impact type crushing apparatus having parts subject to abrading action from material being crushed constructed in a manner so as to reduce the frequency with which such parts must be replaced whereby the apparatus may be more economically operated and maintained.

it will be appreciated that parts of impact type crushers subjected to the abrading action of the material being crushed are usually 'made from special and expensive materials having relatively high resistance to abrasion, and it is a further object of the present invention to provide a novel construction for such parts whereby a savings in the amount of stock material may be effected while their useful working life is increased.

A more specific object of the present invention is to provide a novel impact type crushing apparatus including impeller members or shoes and breaker plates against which material to be crushed is directed from the impeller shoes, which impeller shoes and breaker plates are constructed so as to have an improved working life without requiring the use of an undue amount of stock material, and which impeller shoes and breaker plates may be rapidly and easily replaced so as to minimize machine shutdown time.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings wherein FIG. 1 is a simplified partial sectional view showing an impact type crushing apparatus incorporating features of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken generally along line 22 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing an impeller shoe structure incorporating one embodiment of the present invention;

MG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing an impeller shoe structure incorporating another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing a breaker plate structure incorporating one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the breaker plate structure shown in FIG. 5 is assembled relationship;

FIG. 7 is a partially exploded perspective view showing a breaker plate structure incorporating another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary perspective view showing a portion of another breaker plate assembly incorporating features of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken generally along line 99 of FIG. 8 and further showing all elements of the breaker plate of this embodiment completely assembled; and

FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view showing portions of the breaker plate assembly which are to be as sociated with the structure shown in FIG. 8 in the man ner shown in FIG. 9.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings, wherein like parts are designated by the same numerals throughout the various figures, an impact type crushing apparatus 26 incorporating features of the present invention is shown in somewhat simplified form in FIGS. 1 and 2. The apparatus 20 comprises an upstanding cylindrical housing 22 to 'which a cover 24 is removably secured. An upstanding spindle 26 is suitably rotatably mounted centrally in the cylindrical housing 22, which spindle carries an impeller assembly 28 fixed to its upper end. The spindle is driven at high speed by means of an electric motor or the like 30 suitably mounted outside of the housing 22 and having a pulley 32 fixed to its rotor shaft for driving an endless belt 34 which in turn drives a pulley 36 fixed to the lower end of the spindle 26.

The material to be crushed or broken is fed into the apparatus 20 through a centrally located tube 38 which extends through the cover plate 24 and is disposed so that its lower end is substantially aligned with the mpeller assembly 23. The impeller assembly comprises a hub member ill which is fixed to the spindle 2d and which in turn supports a horizontal plate or disc 42. A plurality of upstanding and radially extending impeller blade or shoe structures 44 is secured to the upper face of the impeller disc 42, and a centrally located distributor member or cone 46 is provided for directing material delivered through the tube 38 radially outwardly to the impeller blades or shoes 44. As will be understood, material which is picked up or engaged by the impeller blade or shoe structures 44- when the impeller is rotated at a high speed will be accelerated rapidly and thrown laterally outwardly from the impeller assembly. As the material traverses the impeller shoe or blade structures, there is a tendency for considerable abrading action to take place. in accor-dance with one feature of the present invention the impeller shoe or blade structures are constructed so as to reduce this abrading action and the adverse effects thereof and more specifically, the blade means are constructed for reducing production and maintenance costs and machine shut-down time resulting from the abrading action.

Material thrown laterally outwardly from the impeller assembly 21; is directed against breaker plate structures 5i; which are described in detail below. As will be understood, the force of the impact of the material against the breaker plate structures causes the material to be crushed or broken. As shown best in FIG. 2, numerous breaker plate structures 50 are provided, which structures are respectively mounted on brackets 52 spaced around the interior of and welded or otherwise secured to the interior of the cylindrical housing 22. As will hereinafter be discussed, the breaker plate structures like the impeller blade or shoe structures are constructed so that they may be quickly and easily assembled with and removed from their mounting brackets and so that production and maintenance costs resulting from the abrading action caused by the engagement of the material with the breaker plate structures are substantially reduced.

Referring now more specifically to FIGS. 2 and 3 which show the impeller shoe structure 44 incorporating one embodiment of the present invention, it is seen that the impeller shoe structure comprises a main body member 54 which is preferably cast or otherwise formed from material having a high abrasion resisting characteristic. As indicated in FIG. 2, the body member 54 is provided with a laterally and downwardly projecing finger 56 extending from a rear surface thereof. The finger 56 is adapted to project through a suitable aperture formed in an upstanding bracket member 58 fixed to the impeller disc 42 So crushing operation.

that the impeller shoe body member 54 may be quickly and easily detachably connected with the bracket plate 58. As shown best in FIG. 3, the shoe body member 54 is provided with a large pocket 60, which pocket will become largely filled with material being worked upon during 21 Such material trapped within the pocket 60 serves to protect a large portion of the body member 54 from the abrading action of additional material passing over the shoe and being thrown laterally outwardly therefrom. However, abrading action and wear is focused to a considerable extent at an end wall 62 of he shoe body member 54 and in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, the adverse effects of such wear are materially reduced by providing an insert 64 of high abrasion resisting material for covering the end wall 62. The insert 64 is formed so that it may be easily and quickly removably secured against the end wall 62, and in the embodiment shown this is accomplished by providing a pair of integral fingers 66 and 68 extending laterally from an inner end portion of the insert for projecting through apertures 70 and 72 respectively provided in the end wall 62.

FiG. 4 shows an impeller shoe or blade structure 44a which is similar to the above described structure as indicated by the application of identical reference numerals with the sufiix a added to corresponding parts. In this embodiment the insert 64a is extended so as to include opposite end walls 74, 76, opposite side walls 78-80, and a bottom wall 81 so that the insert serves to define the pocket 60a. It will be appreciated that the insert 64a provides the entire portion of the shoe structure which is subjected to a considerable amount of abrasion from the material being crushed. Thus, the body member 54a may be formed from a relatively inexpensive material which need not have high abrasion resisting characteristics. In addition to the finger 66a, the insert is provided with a flange 82 adapted to project beneath a lip 84 on the body member 54a for detachably connecting the insert with the body member.

Referring particularly to FIGS. 1, 2, and 6, the breaker plate structure 50 which incorporates one embodiment of the present invention, will now be described in detail. This breaker plate structure comprises a main body member 86 haivng a curved outer surface 88 against which the material to be broken or crushed is directed. A central area of the breaker plate structure is generally subjected to the greatest amount of wear, and therefore in order to increase the working life of the plate structure, a T-slot 98 is provided in the body member 86 and an insert 100 is removably assembled within the slot. The insert has a transverse cross sectional shape similar to that of the slot 98 so that flanges 102 and 104 of the insert serve to present lateral disassembly of the insert from the slot. The insert also includes laterally projecting flange portions 103 and 105 at its outer face so as to cover a greater area of the main body member 86. A locking pin 106 is inserted through an aperture 87 in the body member 86 for entry into a recess or notch 108 provided in the back of the insert for releasably locking the insert against longitudinal retrograde movement from the slot 98. Preferably the curvature of the slot 98 and of the insert 100 is substantially the arc of a circle and the insert fits snugly within the slot so that the main body member 86 effectively reinforces the insert and absorbs impact stresses applied to the insert by the material thrown from the impeller. It is important to note that an outwardly projecting central or leg portion 110 of the insert and the flanges 103 and 105 project substantially outwardly from the surface 88 of the main body member so that an outwardly facing surface 112 of the insert is disposed for receiving a major portion of the material thrown from the impeller and thus a major portion of the wear. It will be appreciated that under these circumstances, the surface 112 will wear away much more rapidly than the surface 88 of the main body member. Thus when the insert has been worn so that the surface 112 thereof has receded substantially to the level of the surface 88, the insert should be replaced. As will be understood, the insert 100 can be replaced much more economically than the entire breaker plate structure since the body member 86 contains a considerably larger mass of the expensive high abrasion resistant material than the insert.

The main body member 86 of the breaker plate structure 50 is provided with a pair of laterally rearwardly extending finger elements 114 and 116, respectively, having depending flanges 118 and 120. These flanges are adapted to be hooked over the upper margin of the mounting bracket 52 so as to enable the body member 86 to be secured to the mounting bracket quickly and easily. It will be noted that the body member 86 also includes a vertical flange 122 extending rearwardly from one end thereof and a vertically disposed laterally outwardly extending flange 124 at the opposite end thereof. As indicated in FIG. 2, the outwardly projecting flange 124 Of each of the breaker plate structures complements the inwardly projecting flange 122 of an adjacent breaker plate structure so as to prevent material thrown from the impeller from passing between adjacent breaker plate structures and engaging the interior surface of the cylindrical housing 22.

FIG. 7 shows a breaker plate structure 50b incorporating a slightly modified form of the present invention as indicated by the application of reference numerals with the suffix b added to elements which correspond to those described above. In this embodiment, a plurality of shorter inserts 1001: are provided in place of the single relatively long insert described above. The inserts 100b may be individually replaced in the event one becomes worn more than the other whereby further economies may be effected. This embodiment further illustrates the manner in which a vertical width of the breaker plate structure may be extended without unduly increasing the amount of stock material required. More specifically, the body member 86b is provided with a relatively thick central portion in which the slot 98b is formed, and the surface 88b is extended downwardly by means of a flange 126 of reduced thickness. Furthermore, the mounting fingers 11411 and 11612 may be formed integrally with an upwardly extending flange 128 which may be formed so as to position the breaker plate structure at the desired height relative to the impeller. In this embodiment the locking element 106b is shown in the form of a screw threaded into the body member for engaging in the notch 1081) in the upper margin of the insert.

FIGS. 8, 9 and 10 show another breaker plate structure similar to those described above as indicated by the application of identical reference numerals with the suflix 0" added to corresponding elements and embodying another modified form of the present invention. In this embodiment the main body member 86c of high abrasion resistant material is of relatively thin construction so as to require a reduced amount of the expensive stock material. The body member 860 is adapted to be secured to an auxiliary main body member 130 which may be formed from tough relatively inexpensive material. The body member 130 may be in the form of a relatively thin curved plate to which the mounting fingers 114a and 116c are secured, and the body member 130 may be strengthened and rigidified by laterally rearwardly extending plate members 132 and 134 integrally formed or otherwise connected therewith and adapted to abut the mounting bracket 52c.

In order to permit the body member 860 to be secured to the body member 130, apertures 136 and 138 are formed in the body member 130 for accommodating lat erally projecting bosses 140, only one of which is shown, formed integrally with and extending rearwardly from the body member 86c, see FIG. 9. An internally threaded insert 142 is cast or otherwise secured within each of the bosses for accommodating a screw 144 which extends through a washer 146 overlying the back of body member 130 for drawing the body member 860 against the body member 130. It will be appreciated that other means may be used for securing the body member 86c to the body member 130. For example, the bosses 140 could be replaced by hook-like finger elements similar to the elements 114c and 116C for projecting through the openings 136 and 138 and engaging behind the margins of the openings. In order to secure the insert 1000 within the slot 980, a screw member 106a is turned through an internally threaded aperture in the back of the body member 86c for interengaging with the insert.

While the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described herein, it is obvious that many structural details may be varied without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

The invention is claimed as follows:

1. A breaker plate structure for an impact crushing apparatus of the type described including a centrifugal impeller mounted within a housing, comprising body means detachably mountable within the housing for presenting a surface thereof for engagement by material to be crushed thrown from the impeller, a slot in said body means and opening at said surface and one end of said body means, said body means including flange portions defining opposite sides of said slot and overlying a bottom surface of said slot, an insert of high abrasion resisting material removably disposed in said slot and presenting a surface for engagement by the material thrown from the impeller, and means including flanges integral With said insert and underlying said first mentioned flanges releasably securing said insert with respect to said body means so as to enable the insert to be replaced when worn.

2. A breaker plate structure, as defined in claim 1, wherein said insert is constructed so that said surface thereof is disposed outwardly of said surface of the body means.

3. A breaker plate structure, as defined in claim 1, wherein said slot has a generally T-shaped cross section and said insert has a complementary cross section for preventing lateral disassembly of the insert from the body means.

4. A breaker plate structure, as defined in claim 3, which includes pin means passing through an aperture in said body means and engaging recess means in said insert for releasably securing said insert against endwise displacement from said slot.

5. A breaker plate structure, as defined in claim 1, wherein said slot has a length substantially greater than said insert, said structure including an additional insert disposed in said slot and releasably secured to said body means.

6. A breaker plate structure, as defined in claim 1, in which said body means includes a relatively thick portion having said slot formed therein, and a relatively thin portion projecting transversely of said slot for extending said first mentioned surface without unduly increasing the amount of stock material required for said body means.

7. A breaker plate structure, as defined in claim 1, wherein said body means includes a first body member of high abrasion resisting material having said slot formed therein, a second body member of tough material abutting said first body member and including means for releasably mounting the body means within said housing, said second body member including aperture means therein, attachment means integral with said first body member and projecting into said aperture means, and releasably securing said first body member to said second body member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,499,455 Hadsel July 1, 1924 2,090,449 Knudlzen Aug. 17, 1937 2,635,817 Long Apr. 21, 1953 2,637,502 Bond May 5, 1953 2,682,376 Frank June 29, 1954 2,752,098 Adams June 26, 1956 2,844,331 Adams July 22, 1958 

1. A BREAKER PLATE STRUCTURE FOR AN IMPACT CRUSHING APPARATUS OF THE TYPE DESCRIBED INCLUDING A CENTRIFUGAL IMPELLER MOUNTED WITHIN A HOUSING, COMPRISING BODY MEANS DETACHABLY MOUNTABLE WITHIN THE HOUSING FOR PRESENTING A SURFACE THEREOF FOR ENGAGEMENT BY MATERIAL TO BE CRUSHED THROWN FROM THE IMPELLER, A SLOT IN SAID BODY MEANS AND OPENING AT SAID SURFACE AND ONE END OF SAID BODY MEANS, SAID BODY MEANS INCLUDING FLANGE PORTIONS DEFINING OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID SLOT AND OVERLYING A BOTTOM SURFACE OF SAID SLOT, AN INSERT OF HIGH ABRASION RESISTING MATERIAL RE MOVABLY DISPOSED IN SAID SLOT AND PRESENTING A SURFACE FOR ENGAGEMENT BY THE MATERIAL THROWN FROM THE IMPELLER, AND MEANS INCLUDING FLANGES INTEGRAL WITH SAID INSERT AND UNDERLYING SAID FIRST MENTIONED FLANGES RELEASABLY SECURING SAID INSERT WITH RESPECT TO SAID BODY MEANS SO AS TO ENABLE THE INSERT TO BE REPLACED WHEN WORN. 